It is well known to provide fluid dispensers for use in restaurants, factories, hospitals, bathrooms and the home. These dispensers may contain fluids such as soap, anti-bacterial cleansers, disinfectants, lotions and the like. It is also known to provide dispensers with some type of pump actuation mechanism wherein the user pushes or pulls a lever to dispense a quantity of fluid into the user's hands. “Hands-free” dispensers may also be utilized wherein the user's hands are simply placed underneath a sensor and a quantity of fluid is dispensed. Related types of dispensers may be used to dispense powder or aerosol materials.
Dispensers may directly hold a quantity of fluid, but these have been found to be messy and difficult to service. As such, it is known to use refill bags or cartridges that hold a quantity of fluid and provide a pump and nozzle mechanism. These cartridges are advantageous in that they are easily installed without a mess. And the dispenser can monitor usage to indicate when the cartridge is low and provide other dispenser status information.
Manufacturers of these fluid materials enlist distributors to install the dispensers at various locations and place the manufacturer's products in the dispensers. Further, the manufacturers rely on the distributors to put the correct refill container or cartridge in the dispenser housing. For example, it would be very upsetting to hospital personnel to have hand moisturizing lotion dispensed when they instead desire anti-bacterial soap. Therefore, manufacturers provide keyed nozzle and pump mechanisms for each type of fluid cartridge so that only appropriate cartridges are installed in corresponding fluid dispensers.
Distributors prefer such a keying system so that their dispensers can only be refilled by them instead of their competitors. Replacement of refill containers by unauthorized distributors is sometimes referred to as “stuffing.” In addition to providing keying between the dispenser and the fluid refill bag to ensure the compatibility of the product with the dispenser, keying is used to ensure that competitors of the distributor do not obtain the distributor's business. And it is also critical to the manufacturer that competitors do not stuff their product into the manufacturer's dispensers. Such activity prevents the manufacturer from obtaining an adequate return on the dispensers which are typically sold at cost or less. Moreover, such “stuffing” subjects the dispenser owner to liability and disparagement when lesser quality and/or improper replacements are made.
Although mechanical keys are helpful in ensuring that the proper refill bag is installed into the proper dispenser and that the distributors maintain their business clientele and integrity, these keying systems have been found to be lacking. For example, if a distributor's competitor cannot install its refill packages into the distributor's dispenser device, the competitor may remove or alter the keying mechanism. As such, inferior fluid may be installed into a particular dispenser and the preferred distributor will lose sales. Mechanical keying also necessitates significant tooling costs underwritten by the manufacturer to design special nozzles and dispensers that are compatible with one another. In other words, each dispenser must be keyed for a particular product, a particular distributor and perhaps even a particular location. Accordingly, the inventory costs for maintaining refill bags with a particular key is significant. And the lead time for manufacturing such a refill bag may be quite lengthy. Moreover, the particular identification of a particular keying device may be lost or damaged so that it is difficult to determine which type of keying configuration is needed for the refill bags.
One attempt at controlling the type of product associated with a dispenser is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,400 B1. This patent discloses a refill bag or cartridge that utilizes a wafer with an embedded magnet that must be properly oriented into a housing in order for the magnet to be detected and effectively close an on/off switch. If the magnet is not detected then the dispenser is disabled. Although effective in its stated purpose, the device disclosed in the patent is lacking in that a specific orientation is required for installation of the refill container.
Electronic keys are also known in the art. One such electronically keyed dispenser is disclosed in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,028,861. This patent discloses several ways to apply radio frequency (RFID) tags or smart labels; and related mediums; however it is lacking because it does not disclose the specific means to accomplish radio frequency identification (RFID) communication. In addition, this reference does not contemplate writing to the RFID tag, which would prevent reusing the cartridge within another dispenser or reloading the dispenser after the fluid has been depleted.
It is also desirable that a dispenser have the ability to so monitor the cartridge it is tendered or has received, that it operates to ensure that the dispenser is never “empty”; that full quantities of liquid are dispensed, as determined by the nature of the cartridge and the volume of liquid therein; that the identity of cartridges to be accepted thereby is first and automatically established upon installation of the dispenser; and that the operating parameters of the dispenser are set and modified as a function of that identity.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a dispenser that provides for exchanges of data between a refill container and a receiving housing utilizing a low cost RFID communication. There is also a need for an improved keying system for fluid dispensers to ensure that the proper material is installed into the proper dispenser and that the cartridge has not yet been used. And there is a need to ensure proper operation of the dispenser as a function of the nature of the cartridge recognized by the dispenser.